Joint Base Andrews activated the 5th Helicopter Squadron Aug. 27, marking the installation's first U.S. Air Force helicopter squadron activation in 60 years.
The squadron stands up at a time when the base anticipates accepting the HH-60W Jolly Green II to execute Andrews' 24/7 operations. The 5th HS will do so alongside the 1st Helicopter Squadron, which was the Air Force's only rotary-wing unit in the National Capital Region for six decades until now.
"The vision is very straightforward," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Bonilla, who assumed command as the first 5th HS commander. "We aim to rapidly and safely integrate the HH-60W into the missions here in the National Capital Region and establish a premier rotary-wing organization that supports our nation's most critical missions, without any pause in operations."
Transitioning to the HH-60W will modernize the fleet and ensure sustainable operations with a modern airframe that meets current and future requirements. The HH-60W's increased speed, range and carrying capacity will better deliver safe operations for U.S. senior leaders, service members and the communities around the region.
In the next few years, the 5th HS will train aircrew and maintainers, establish operational and maintenance processes, and receive new aircraft as it prepares to execute the national security mission within the National Capital Region. Throughout the transition, the 1st HS will continue providing immediate-response capability and support daily operations with the UH-1N airframe.
"The Huey has been part of this mission and this community for generations," said Col. Kevin Geoffroy, 316th Operations Group commander and an HH-60W pilot. "Today, we are standing up the 5th Helicopter Squadron - a unit that inherits a proud, storied legacy. We will honor that legacy by delivering excellence as we modernize our fleet at Joint Base Andrews for the future."
The phased transition is designed to maintain the 1st HS' immediate-response mission while Airmen establish the new squadron to train aircrew and maintainers and progressively bring HH-60Ws into service at JBA. The two squadrons will operate in parallel as the 5th HS progresses toward full operational capacity, which the Air Force anticipates will occur in 2030.
Once the 5th HS has transitioned fully to the new airframe and can safely and sustainably execute the missions, the 1st HS will then begin transitioning from the historic UH-1N to the HH-60W platform. Its replacement will bring a platform with greater capacity for the demanding conditions of the mission, including enhanced navigation, secure communications, weather capability and personnel recovery.
Since 1969, the 1st HS has supported its no-fail mission of immediate-response contingency operations in support of vital national security requirements while maintaining a rigorous training schedule to ensure readiness over the decades, and has flown the UH-1N since 1971, with three of the Hueys that flew in the Vietnam War still flying today.
As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 1st HS's response remains a notable part of its history. Following the attack, the Airmen immediately responded to provide support to U.S. senior leaders.
"Our 24/7 mission continues while we prepare the next generation of Airmen and aircraft to continue the legacy of excellence," said Lt. Col. Zachary Minner, 1st HS commander. "The incredible professionals of the 1st Helicopter Squadron are ready to respond whenever the National Capital Region needs us."
The HH-60W represents a significant modernization of capability, including updated communications, navigation, weather, sensor and survivability systems. The aircraft is suited to support civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance and rescue command-and-control missions.
"Our priority is to maintain uninterrupted mission support and ensure the safety of our aircrew, senior leaders, and neighbors, while preparing the next generation of Airmen for future operations," Bonilla said. "The Airmen here have carried out this mission for more than half a century. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and the 5th HS is the next evolution of Airmen who time and time again deliver exactly what our nation asks of the military in a crisis or contingency."
In a time-honored tradition, the 5th HS gains its heraldry from the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron, which was operational from 1944 to 1956. When Lt. Wilton Bowman, a YR-5 pilot assigned to the 5th ERS, flew the unusual machine past Andrews to a nearby air show in 1946, Airmen dubbed it a "whirling oddity." Eighty years later, the 5th Helicopter Squadron is carrying that legacy into a new era of rotary-wing operations.
As the 5th HS activates, its Airmen will turn a historic "whirling oddity" into a modern chapter of rotary-wing readiness. The unit's task extends beyond receiving a new helicopter: it will train Airmen, expand capability to meet future challenges, and lead the way in modernizing a legacy fleet to execute the Air Force's vital national security mission.
